Lex Immers, a player in the Dutch soccer club ADO Den Haag, has offered apologies after chanting anti-Semitic slogans with fans following his goal against Ajax. Immers' goal helped his team beat the Amsterdam side, 3 - 2. Following the game, the 25 year old player was singing "We’re going to hunt for Jews."
The song was targeted at Ajax supporters, who traditionally have identified with Amsterdam’s Jewish community.
"I'm very sorry of what happened on Sunday after the game against Ajax," he said. The midfielder was fined by his club and the Dutch football federation handed him a five match ban.
"The slogan seemed innocent," said Immers. "When I sing that I go hunting Jews, I do not mean the Jewish people. I just want to beat Ajax," he added.
It is not clear why Amsterdam club Ajax is known as the "Jewish club". It was not established as a Jewish club, but it is thought that the connection is related to the fact that Ajax played at the Eastern part of the city, where most of the city's Jewish inhabitants lived. The vast majority of the Club members was not from the Jewish community, but Ajax supporters have adopted a "Jewish Identity", and display Jewish and even Israeli symbols as part of their team identity.
However, identification with the Jewish community has led to many anti-Semitic events, as opponents of the Ajax team employ anti-Semitic slogans against their rivals. There are newspaper clippings from 1920s and 1930s, describing Ajax has a "big nose" club, referring to the stereotypical image that Jews have a big nose. In the late 1970s, there were many anti-Semitic incidents at Dutch stadiums during games against Ajax. anti-Jewish banners were raised and and anti-Jewish chants were heard in the stands. In more recent years, with increasing anti-Semitism in the Netherlands and greater public acceptance of hatred disguised as anti-Israel sentiment, the chant "Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the Gas" has often been heard from supporters of the opposing teams at Ajax games.
Following the incident with Immers, Ajax chairman Uri Coronel called for changing the nickname of his side, "Joden" ("The Jews" in Dutch), due to the displays of anti-Semitism
Along its history, Ajax have had few Jewish players and directors, including Jaap van Praag (former president), Bennie Muller, Sjaak Swart, David Endt and most recently, the half Israeli player, Daniel de Ridder.
